


Hot Chocolate

by AoifesRamblings



Category: Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, reassurance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:36:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26771530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AoifesRamblings/pseuds/AoifesRamblings
Summary: Trauma can't be fixed with a hot chocolate and little bit of peace, but it's a comforting first step.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	Hot Chocolate

It happened in a instant.  
Her moon, shattered. Body, struck with agonising electricity that shot through her like fire. She could hear Lunas agony but it was as if she was frozen in time, unable to help.  
It's hard to describe the emptiness that comes from losing such an enormous part of yourself. A part you thought untouchable, a part you trusted yourself with protecting. That you were expected to protect.  
Io winced and wrapped her arms tighter around herself.  
She was sat curled up on a sofa in the commune hall, in front of a warm fire, watching people pass by. It was a strange place for a goddess, she pondered. It was if though she were invisible, people so wrapped up in their own worlds and problems that they didn't spare her a thought. There was no spite in this observation, however. It was almost relieving, feeling as if though she didn't exist.  
A whine was heard from her feet, Luna sat up and stared at her, incapable of speech but saying all she needed to, the two beings were connected in an indescribable manner, feelings thoughts and emotions shared while still being their own selves. And as she laid her head on Io's lap, sighing gently, Io could tell her feelings were poorly hidden from her companion. Slowly petting her head, Io's mind flooded with imagery and memories. Agony from being shattered, hundreds of dead bodies, and so many things she failed to protect... a subtle shiver spread through her body, as she failed to withhold her silent tears.

She jumped, however, when someone sat beside her.  
"It wasn't your fault". Jenos said, repeating words that were almost etched onto her skin. Io looked over at her friend, her composure faltering.  
"How could you possibly know that? It was my responsibility to protect them. To keep them safe, to keep them alive. I-I, I should have known. Should've come down s-sooner. I-" Her voice cracked, letting out a small sob from somewhere sealed deep within. Taking one hand off Luna, she placed it over her own mouth in a half hearted effort to stifle her emotions.  
Jenos sighed. He'd seen his friend suffering many times before, and words were almost lost to him. So instead, after pondering for a moment, he changed tactics. "Hm, alright." Io jumped with confusion as he turned to his side, taking a large blanket and mug of something warm and sweet smelling off a side table that Io had failed to notice prior, so wrapped up in her thoughts. He handed the mug to Io, who, tears still staining her cheeks, took it almost automatically, but with a look of confusion on her face. Humming gently, Jenos got up and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders, tucking in the edges, making sure all her extremities were covered, practically turning her into an Io-burrito before sitting back down next to her, grabbing his own mug of the sweet swelling beverage. Before taking a sip, however, he sighed and looked at Io with a level of understanding she couldn't quite place.  
"Io, one of my greatest blessings in this universe is the life I lived before power. My past was full of human connection and emotion, learning to figure things out in the most raw manner available. It was hard, exhausting and at times seemed impossible, but it gave me the ability to see beyond my own pain. To see ways to heal." Jenos leaned back in the chair, removing his mask in a rare moment of calm. "I can't fix your guilt, Io, but I can help you start to see ways forward." He looked at her, care in his eyes that felt almost acidic to Io, undeserving as she felt. "And that starts with getting you to look after yourself. You deserve the peace and calm you wish you could have given every one of your followers, and most of them knew that. Tomorrow the real work begins, but now, right now, sit in this moment and let yourself enjoy things. We can't bring them back, but there are things we can fix. And we will. But we won't be able to do it without you."  
Io stared at her friend, dumbfounded and lost for words. Compassion was almost foreign to her, as for how loving and caring her followers were, they never understood how hurt she was in so many ways. Being alone for so long, having someone to share in her hurt felt almost as if she were dreaming.  
A long moment of silence passed, and Jenos saw Io visibly relax in his peripherals. She let out a gentle, pained sigh, and wrapped herself tighter in the blanket, accepting her encompassed fate.  
Io looked down at the mug she had been given, a strange, warm brown liquid within, but it didn't smell like coffee. Her voice tired and cracked, she almost whispered to Jenos. "W-what is this drink?"  
"Hot chocolate. Something humans came up with, and I must admit, a rather worthy substitute for emotional wellbeing. At least temporarily." He chuckled.  
Io smelled the drink once more, taking a tentative sip. The warm, sweet liquid was new to her, as were many things she had realized upon walking on mortal lands. Some were good, some were terrible. But this was one of the nice ones.

The two friends sat, comfortable and toasty, the light of the fire illuminating their features and drying any of Io's leftover tears. Minutes of silence passed before Io spoke again.  
"Thank you."  
Two simple words, ones she had neglected to use while being so wrapped up in her own turmoil. But words filled with a lifetime of emotions that she felt only her friend could understand. And he did.  
Sharing a look, they both smiled and sat in silence.

Eventually they would rise. Tomorrow they would fight, they would work and they would hurt. Tomorrow they would fix, and figure out, and bring together. Tomorrow they would take on the world and that beyond it's limits.  
But tonight, they would sit.

Hot chocolate and a pep talk can't fix Io's trauma, but it's a good reminder of the reasons why one day, she can.

**Author's Note:**

> its been a while lads  
> i'll never claim to be the best writer, but i simp for io and project on her in a lot of ways, and while all the champs absolutely need therapy I feel likes she's one of the more priority cases lol  
> anyway i wanted to write fluff so hhhh here u goe
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsYaBoiAle  
> Discord: aoife#6199


End file.
